Document k6qVNeajx2jqaBpx4B3XNO42J

Na t i o n a l . Z i n c C o m p a n y , In o . Ba r t l e s v il l e ,O k l a . November* 16, 1954 Robert A. Kehoe, te. D. The Kettering Laboratory College of msdicine-Eden Avenue Cincinnati 15, Ohio . Dear Dr. Kehoe: We -will in the near future begin submitting additional specimens of blood and urine for determinations of lead. They will be from men working in areas of known-high exposure. ;. Our purpose in including the men from No. 18 furnace is to check on the effectiveness of our respirators. The material handled there is Laurel Hill concentrate. Analyses on this:material taken on every shipment show zinc '. 46.7-58.6% and lead 12.6-19.4% during the past year. . . * The use of respirators: is compulsory. The respirator furnished is Mine Safety Appliance Co. "Comfo" Metal Fume Respirator with metal fume filter. Bureau of M i n e s .Approved #2139, Vie appreciate your opinion regarding the importance of air analyses .as a , ,. guide in tailing corrective: measures -to improve theworking' environment. To give you a better idea of o u r .situation may I outline to you briefly what our corrective program is and of our progress to date. ". We have recently replaced our old Herreshoff roaster kilns with fluo-solids reactors supplied by.the Dorr Company. Scheduled to follow this is complete .overhaul of our sintering machines and adjacent.area. . . The. activity.attendant ,upon the fluo-solids installation has released ,considerable accumulations:-of dust to the atmosphere in ooth the reactor and sintering areas. This has for a time increased the toxicity in both. Numerous unexpected difficulties in getting the reactors into ..operation have thrown us behind, schedule. .To alleviate in part the. conditions in the -sintering area we have overhauled one machine hoping we could get along for awhile with the one,. .Unfortunately, we have not been able to do as we hoped and have been forced to use a machine which needs some further attention. In recent weeks, however, the new roasting equipment has settled down and :air samples: there show a :great improvement. As further saf eguard we have enclosed the, control mechanism in an air-conditioned room where the operators can remain for most of their shifts. The same sort of improvement is ex pected in the sintering area vrhere machine overhaul and an enclosed control room are ooth scheduled. 0003743 N 6706 .-age a. A " Robert A. Kehoe, 3a.D. , Kettering Laboratory, Cincinnati 19, QhiJ The way now seems clear for early completion of this next step in our program. Mean time, respirators are_our chief defense. .In view of this unexpected delay we want to check this group o f 'Workers and they will be included in the specimens we are submitting. We will, therefore, need to increase our order for containers to fifty, that is, an additional twenty five. Thank you'for your help and advice. Very truly yc-urs, . X^'-rn. >?) - /Jet Us/-y y T l./j . Vv'm. k. Aldreare, '1. D. Company Surgeon S','' -, ,' 1"' ; 'O' y - . ' ' ' "' ' . . : ' - y V y 'y :iv K , y. . 1 - , .. . . ' : ' 1""' ' ,. y 'y!'X- ' ''iylvi' ' yy.$ k ,:y^ .V' ,'yv,.:; - ' . ' 'y - i y'.-':; y ,.r y . y y ;. i t w y y y y - y y "- y :: . :y :: . . " - ,v . " , ... y '- ' . 1 ' v, . 'v i y - v i i : ' ' . i . " 'yvy.Hv lu; .y'; ye.,:':i.'V ;y: ' y-/.. yiy; y y y ;>-.v> . .. . : . . . / y y a y y / - :y y y .y...y..u..i. y y " ....y.r..... ^ y e y y e y , . u y ' t ' -u-.uy., u , ' - ."'i..1 lyt'yylyyiiyy'yyy^y . y V ' ;\ r-'.vii. yy'.>yt/:,,5k'n \ y y y v ''t>ycyyye - y y y-,.,1;V"-;1;'y->*- .v--1V":-v'iyvf.,'-/.e . ` ; V- ., y y y y y y y y r y y y . ' : : : :- jyiyy:yyyy,yy-y. y : ` ' 0003744